Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Transform rough ideas into fully-formed designs through intelligent agent selection and structured exploration.

Core principle: Analyze the topic, select relevant agents dynamically, explore alternatives in parallel, present design incrementally.

STEP 0: Verify User Intent with AskUserQuestion

BEFORE creating tasks, clarify brainstorming constraints:

python

AskUserQuestion(
  questions=[
    {
      "question": "What type of design exploration?",
      "header": "Type",
      "options": [
        {"label": "Open exploration (Recommended)", "description": "Generate 10+ ideas, evaluate all, synthesize top 3"},
        {"label": "Constrained design", "description": "I have specific requirements to work within"},
        {"label": "Comparison", "description": "Compare 2-3 specific approaches I have in mind"},
        {"label": "Quick ideation", "description": "Generate ideas fast, skip deep evaluation"}
      ],
      "multiSelect": false
    },
    {
      "question": "Any preferences or constraints?",
      "header": "Constraints",
      "options": [
        {"label": "None", "description": "Explore all possibilities"},
        {"label": "Use existing patterns", "description": "Prefer patterns already in codebase"},
        {"label": "Minimize complexity", "description": "Favor simpler solutions"},
        {"label": "I'll specify", "description": "Let me provide specific constraints"}
      ],
      "multiSelect": false
    }
  ]
)

Based on answers, adjust workflow:

•Open exploration: Full 7-phase process with all agents
•Constrained design: Skip divergent phase, focus on feasibility
•Comparison: Skip ideation, jump to evaluation phase
•Quick ideation: Generate ideas, skip deep evaluation

CRITICAL: Task Management is MANDATORY (CC 2.1.16)

python

# Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(
  subject="Brainstorm: {topic}",
  description="Design exploration with parallel agent research",
  activeForm="Brainstorming {topic}"
)

# Create subtasks for each phase
TaskCreate(subject="Analyze topic and select agents", activeForm="Analyzing topic")
TaskCreate(subject="Search memory for past decisions", activeForm="Searching knowledge graph")
TaskCreate(subject="Generate divergent ideas (10+)", activeForm="Generating ideas")
TaskCreate(subject="Feasibility fast-check", activeForm="Checking feasibility")
TaskCreate(subject="Evaluate with devil's advocate", activeForm="Evaluating ideas")
TaskCreate(subject="Synthesize top approaches", activeForm="Synthesizing approaches")
TaskCreate(subject="Present design options", activeForm="Presenting options")

The Seven-Phase Process

Phase	Activities	Output
0. Topic Analysis	Classify keywords, select 3-5 agents	Agent list
1. Memory + Context	Search graph, check codebase	Prior patterns
2. Divergent Exploration	Generate 10+ ideas WITHOUT filtering	Idea pool
3. Feasibility Fast-Check	30-second viability per idea	Filtered ideas
4. Evaluation & Rating	Rate 0-10, devil's advocate challenge	Ranked ideas
5. Synthesis	Filter to top 2-3, trade-off table	Options
6. Design Presentation	Present in 200-300 word sections	Validated design

See references/phase-workflow.md for detailed instructions.

When NOT to Use

Skip brainstorming when:

•Requirements are crystal clear and specific
•Only one obvious approach exists
•User has already designed the solution
•Time-sensitive bug fix or urgent issue

Quick Reference: Agent Selection

Topic Example	Agents to Spawn
"brainstorm API for users"	workflow-architect, backend-system-architect, security-auditor
"brainstorm dashboard UI"	workflow-architect, frontend-ui-developer, ux-researcher
"brainstorm RAG pipeline"	workflow-architect, llm-integrator, data-pipeline-engineer
"brainstorm caching strategy"	workflow-architect, backend-system-architect, performance-engineer

Always include: workflow-architect for system design perspective.

Key Principles

Principle	Application
Dynamic agent selection	Select agents based on topic keywords
Parallel research	Launch 3-5 agents in ONE message
Memory-first	Check graph for past decisions before research
Divergent-first	Generate 10+ ideas BEFORE filtering
Task tracking	Use TaskCreate/TaskUpdate for progress visibility
YAGNI ruthlessly	Remove unnecessary complexity

Related Skills

•architecture-decision-record - Document key decisions made during brainstorming
•implement - Execute the implementation plan after brainstorming completes
•explore - Deep codebase exploration to understand existing patterns
•assess - Rate quality 0-10 with dimension breakdown

References

•Phase Workflow - Detailed 7-phase instructions
•Divergent Techniques - SCAMPER, Mind Mapping, etc.
•Evaluation Rubric - 0-10 scoring criteria
•Devil's Advocate Prompts - Challenge templates
•Socratic Questions - Requirements discovery
•Common Pitfalls - Mistakes to avoid
•Example Session - Complete example

Version: 4.1.0 (January 2026) - Refactored to progressive loading structure